Improvement in sectional steam-boilers



3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. S. GRIFFITH .8u G. E. BMERY.

SECTIQNAL BOILIIR.

Patelted Feb. 7, 1871.,

3 Sheets-Sheet 3. J. S. GRIFFITH 8:70. E. EMERY. SBCTIONAL BOILER.

Patented Feb.'7,1871.

114: mms Parras cnA mommno.. wAsmNmon n. c,

dttt tain @tutti Taifun JAMES S. GRIFFITH AND CHARLES E. EMERY,`OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Letters Patent No. 111,639, dated February 7,1871.

IMPROVEMENT IN SECTIONAL STEAM-BOILERS.

Be it known that we, J AMES S.- GnIFFITH and CHARLES E. EMERY, both of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and-Improved Sectional Steam-Boiler; and we do hereby' declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had .to the accompanying drawing making part of this specification.

Our invention relates to that kind of boiler which is formed oi' `wrought-iron tubes connected together at their ends by means of chambers, in what are tech. nically called tube-heads, or sometimes .se'ctionsf water-tubes may be v.cleaned or removed.

Second, the arrangement of one or more tubes in each section, wholly or partially out of direct contact with the flames or heated gases, and in such manner as to returnthe water from one tube-head to the other, and thus complete the circulation.

Third, a newarrangement of partitions in a tubehead, whereby the circulation ot' the water and the separation of the same from'the steam is` secured in a very efficient manner.

`Fourth, a. boiler tube-head combined and connected with a tube by a stnng-box joint,- said tube-head being A'provided Vwith an opening opposite the tube through which the joint may be packed and the tube cleaned or removed.

. Fifth, the combination and arrangement of a bounet and stu'iug-box gland with a bolt in such manner that both of the former are held in place by the latter.

Sixth, the combination of a stui'ling-box gland with a nut, or its equivalent, secured to the tube in such manner as to prevent the separation of the tube-heads', and permit also the free adjustment of' the gland.

In the drawing- Figure 1 represents the front elevation of a boiler constructed in accordance with our improvements.

Figure 2- is a vertical longitudinal section between two of the boiler sections and through portions of the tube-heads.

. Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of a steamdrum, designed to be attached to the iront tube-head,

and varied somewhat in construction from that shown in fig. 2.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the front tube- -head of a section of the boiler on the line of a vertical l row of tubes.

Figure 5 is a front elevation of the same.

Figures 6 to 16 inclusive, and

Figures 19 and 2O show the details ot' construction, and are more particularly described hereafter.

Figure 17 represents a vertical longitudinal section of a boiler, in which the tubes are differently arranged from those shown in iig. 2. l.

Figure 18 is a front elevation of. two of the front tube-heads of a boiler constructed as shown ing. 17.

In the usual method of construction the water-tubes designated by the letter A in the drawing are set slightly inclined from tho horizontal, with their ends connected to cast-iron boxes or tube-heads.

Those at the higher ends of the tubes are designated the front tube-heads B,and those at the. lower end of the tubes the rear tube-heads O.

vEach of these tube-heads, B and C, is made of sufficient size to receive any desired number of tubes, but for convenience in transportation, and to insure proper strength, we generally use in each head two vertical Arows oi' tubes with from seven to twelve tubes in each row.

The upper part of the front tube-head isexpanded longitudinally .into a steam-drum, D, the thickness or width oi' which is the` same as thatot the tubehead B, so that a number of the latter with their attached drums can be erected closely side by side, as shown in iig. l. 1

The rear tube-heads are usually extended a short distance below the tubes, so as to form a space for deposits which are blown out through pipes (t, leading from each tube-head into a cross-pipe.

A front tube-head, B, a rear tube-head, 0, and, the con necting-tubes form one sect-ion, which is a complete boiler in itself; and larger boilers are constructed by multiplying the number of sections.

The several sections are connected together through pipes d, leading from the steam-drumsY into a larger connecting-pipe, by the blow-ofi` pipes a, and preferably, also, by feed-pipes placed near the bottom ot' the rear section, as at 1),.or at the top, as at c.

The water-level is carried in the steam drums D at or near the line e f.

The flames and heated gases from the furnace E are conducted around any suitable arrangement of deflecting-plates, g, so as to circulate among the tubes, and are then discharged into the chimney-due h, either at the' bottom, side, or top of the boiler.

As the water in the tubes receives hat its density is diminished, and it is forced by the heavier waterin the rear tube-heads C out of the tubes and up the front tube-heads B into the steam-drums D, where the steam escapes, and the water flows over a cross-partitionv or dam, 11,), and enters the upper tubes A', which return itto tlie rear tube-head C, and thus maintain the circulation. l

The tubes A' in the upper -row are wholly or partially screened from the f iamjs and heated gases by a partition, F, made usually of fire-brick or tile.

This is done for the reason that, if heat be admitto the tubes A', the density of the water in the descending current will be diminished and the rapidity oi' the circulation correspondingly lessened.

By the construction showna heavy and-light column'l are continually maintained, the water in the first continually displacing that in the other, and' thus making a free circulation.

It is not essential that the tubes A should be en? tirely screened from the heated gases, but in no case should they receive sufficient heat to form steambubbles. v

In some instances we make the chimney-flue at the top, and thus permit the escaping gases to pass overthe rear ends of the tubes A.

In some cases also we place more than one horizontal row of tubes above the partition F, and at other times make the tubes Alarger than the lower tubes A, so that the area of the heating-tubes will not be more than six to eight times that of the upper tubes.

In order to prevent the water from being carried into the upper part of the drum we place a little above the water-line a cross-partition, j, which deflects the steam and water downward, and the latter falls into the descendigg current, over the dam E, while the steam rises'through an opening at the end of the partition into the steam-space above the partition j.

Usually the tubes A' are madey shorter than the other tubes, which permits of a straight passage for the'water up the front tube-head B; but in other cases the tubesare made of the same length, andthe partition forming the dam E is projected outside of the inner sheet oi' Vthe tube-head, and the front part. of the tube-head is opsento keep up: the area, as is shown in fig. 3. The dam E is sometimes dispensed withfaltogether, which permits the water yto be carried lower in the drum, if desired; but in such case the ascending and descending currents conict very much.

In other cases we ,make a dam, but perforate it, as shown in jig. 4, so that it separates the currents, and yet permits circulation to take place after the water falls below the top of the dam.

We prefer to make the fronts ofthe furnace hollow, and ll the same with water, to prevent their'bcing burned out. We either discharge the water thus heated into a tank, or open communications from the waterfront to theboiler proper,l as shown in figs. 1 and 2. p

In igs. 1G and 17 the combi-ned tube-head und steam-drum is adapted to a different arrangement of the tubes, the water in the'latter running first to the rear in the lower tubes, and back to the front in the upper tubes. The descending current of water passes in front of a partition, E, and is thus kept separate from the water and steam issuing from ,the tubes. `'lhis partition E may he joined to the tube-sheet at the bottom, as shown in the dot-ted lilies, in which case all the water will necessarily pass over the top of it. lf there be an opening at the bottom, as shown, the water partially separat-es from the steam as it issues from the tubes, and drops down and j oins the current outside the partition.

The tubes are secured in place in any desired manner, but, preferably, by means oi' stuiug-box joints formed around them in the inner sheets of the tube heads, `as is distinctly shown in fig. 4, In front of each tube is a hand-hole opening, Z, of suicient size to permit the insertion of' the tube and the stuffing box gland. The form of gland generally employed is shown in tig.v 19. It consists of a ring, to press upon the packing, provided with a number of curved arms, joining together in the center, as shown. When the gland is slipped over the tube the curved armsl extend outside the end of it, leaving a passage for the water between them, as is shown in fig. 4, 7c representing the standing-box, t the ring ofthe gland, and' m the arms of the same.

On the inside of each hand-hole opening Z, except the upper one, is placed a cross-bar, a, which forms'a nut for a screw-bolt, o. The point of the. latter presses against the center of the arms n of the gland, and the lbolt may be turned vin itscnut so as totighten the stuing-box to any desired degree.

Over the bolts o are slipped hand-hole plates, p,

which cover the hand-hole openings l on the outside,-

and said plates are held ip place by nuts upon the screwbolts o, as is clearly shown.

The bolt o, opposite the upper tube A, is screwed r through a plate, a, covering the opening 1n dam E,

andthe cross-bar n is omitted. The plate a' is usu -ally made oval, so that it can be removed through the opening it covers, and it need not make a tight joint on the partition E. In some instances, the handhole plates, or bonnets p, and openings lare made oval,l so ,that the former may be'put inside. In such case the plates form the nuts for the bolts o, and no cross-bars are needed. This arrangement is show'n in figs. 15 and 16, in which the opening Z extend opposite two tubes. In both casesthe one bolt serves to secnre'both the hand-hole. plate and stuug-box gland; y

flo prevent the front and rear tube-heads from b ecoming separated by the pressure, we, in some cases, screw upou'the -top and bottom tubes iu each tubehead nuts r, figs. 4, G, 11, and 13, which bear upon the metal surrounding thestuiiing-hoxes.

To permit the adjustment ofthe stnfing-box glands the nuts are grooved inside, so that whenthey are screwed upon the tubes, openings, s, fig. 11, are left, through which the arms an, fig. 12, of the stuffing-box gland extend and press upon'a ring, t, madeinf this case separate from thc arms my, which ring tightens the packing.

In other cases, the ring t is formed upon the arms Im., as at irst described, and,vto tie the l'ront and rear tube-heads to the tubes and to each other, pins, fr, igs. 7 and 14, are run through the' ends of the upper and lower tubes, between the arms m, such pins lying upon the metal surrounding the stuffing-box, and pre# ventin g the tuhe-heads from being pulled off the tubes the saine as the nuts c, heretofore described. Both the nuts 2' and the pins o permit the free adjustment of the stung-boxes, though either the nuts or pins must be removed temporarily when new packing is required.

The front and rear walls of the tube-heads 'are tied together between thc tubes by a partition, G, seen' beyond the plane of section in iig. 4, and shown in dotted lines in fig. 5. This partition is generally provided with openings through it, as'sho'wn in fig. 4.

The side walls oi' the steam-drum are tied together by studs, x, which are usually cast in one piece with the walls.

In order tosee the re and permit the introduction of hose to clean the tubes, we make half-holes in the sides ot' the tube-heads, and full holes in the middle thereof, which extend entirely through the heads, and are surrounded by metal, to make the heads watertight-structures. rIhese openings are closed by simple plugs, shown in Iig. 18.

Bolts may be used to tie the front and -rear tubeheads together, and thenutsfr and pins fv, described, be thereby dispensed with.

1. An improved tube-head for sectional boilers,

provided with an enlarged top, serving as a steamdrum and chamber for the separation of the steam and water, substantially as and ibr the purpose specified.

2. The return-tubes A', in each section, arranged, as shown and described, iu relation to a partition, F,

` and the front and rear' tube-heads, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. ,In combinationwith a steam-drum, the deecting partition j and dani E, arranged 'substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. A boiler tube head, combined and connected with a tube by a stuing-box joint, said tube-head being provided with an opening opposite the tube, through which the joint may be packed and the tube cleaned or removed, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination of a bonnet, p, and gland m with a bolt, o, substantially in the manner and for the purposes specified.

6. A boiler-tube, with nuts lr or pins c secured to the ends thereof, combined with stuffing-boxes and glands, substantially in the manner and for the purposes specified.

JAMES. S. GRIFFITH. GHAS. E. EMERY. .Vitnesses:

W. H. WEIGHTMAN, R. RALPH. 

